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This much is certain: Expect drama downstate

Fremd made history in 1993 as the first boys basketball team from the Mid-Suburban League to claim a state trophy.

The Vikings are making history again as the first MSL team to make it downstate since the IHSA expanded from two to four classes in 2007-08. That guarantees the league's fourth boys hoops trophy celebration, with their predecessors from 24 years ago and Schaumburg's state champion in 2001 and fourth-place finisher in 1999.

Now, will a team with an MSL-record 31 victories complete another piece of history?

Two wins this weekend in Peoria would put Fremd and coach Bob Widlowski in the history books as the first state champion to go unbeaten in big-school competition since mighty King in 1993.

Only 12 teams in Class AA or under the one-class system have won it all without a loss. No one has accomplished the feat in any class since Seneca in 2006.

But the Vikings haven't taken the easy road to perfection, with dramatic 1-point wins in the supersectional on Luke Schoffstall's free throws with 17.2 seconds left in overtime and in the sectional on MSL West Player of the Year Kyle Sliwa's 3-pointer at the buzzer. Last-second victories also secured their MSL and Wheeling Hardwood Classic championships.

Is there more drama in store for Fremd at the Peoria Civic Center's Carver Arena?

It will certainly be fun to find out as we continue a tradition started decades ago by Daily Herald prep guru Bob Frisk of making state tournament predictions that are typically nowhere near as perfect as the Vikings have been this season.

Class 4A

Semifinals

Whitney Young (25-7) vs. Fremd (31-0), Friday, 5:30 p.m.

No undefeated team may have arrived at the state finals with less glitz or more grit than Fremd.

The Vikings were not even regarded as the best team in the Mid-Suburban League going into the season. Now they have more wins in a season than anyone as they passed the 30 by Hoffman Estates' Elite Eight qualifier in 2004 and became the first team to get to Peoria since Schaumburg in 2006.

There is no doubt there has been some good fortune. But the primary reason they made it here is a group of unselfish and smart players who have truly embraced Widlowski's system of complementing tough defense with offensive precision and patience.

Sliwa heads a group of players who aren't flashy but are fundamentally sound. Good things happen with the ball in his hands. Schoffstall showed his fearlessness on Tuesday when he responded to Jacobs' go-ahead 3-pointer by aggressively bringing the ball into the front court, drawing a foul and calmly hitting the winning free throws.

Brian Dompke and Shaan Patel have showed they can handle big challenges inside at 6-feet-5. Ryan Martin, the only junior starter, has played a big role defensively.

This is their biggest challenge. The Dolphins won state titles in 1998, 2009 and 2014 and a freshman reserve on the most recent champion, 6-5 Lucas Williamson, is now the main threat after taking MVP honors as his team won the prestigious Proviso West holiday tournament.

Swingman Javon Freeman is second in scoring and their leading rebounder. But the return to health of junior point guard Xavier Castaneda has made a huge difference in their postseason run.

• The pick: Fremd won't be intimidated by a bigger state stage - especially after playing in front of more than 7,000 on Tuesday at the Sears Centre. The Vikings' patience will definitely be a challenge for the Dolphins to handle. This Young team doesn't have anyone like eventual NBA starter Quentin Richardson in 1998 but it can put up points in a hurry. I don't see a high-scoring game and those who have been following this annual exercise in frequent futility know I'm often wrong. I hope that's the case here in picking Young 44, Fremd 39

Simeon (29-3) vs. Bolingbrook (29-1), Friday, 7:15 p.m.

Simeon can get after it defensively and when it sics its full-court pressure on opponents it can double a 10-point margin in a hurry. Other than a brief blip in January, the Wolverines have met the expectations of a program that has won six state titles since 2006 under Robert Smith and seven overall.

They shut down Edwardsville Mr. Basketball candidate Mark Smith in the supersectional and contained dynamic all-stater Alonzo Verge Jr. in a sectional final win over Thornton. Dynamic UTEP-bound point guard Evan Gilyard sets the tone for the Wolverines at both ends of the floor.

But Gilyard is far from the only concern for Bolingbrook. Juniors Kezo Brown and versatile 6-5 Talen Horton-Tucker have emerged as two of the state's top players and 6-6 Messiah Jones provides inside toughness.

Bolingbrook won its first 23 games before falling by a point to Lincoln-Way East without 6-6 Malik Binns, a Morgan Park transfer who is the No. 2 scorer and leading rebounder. Nebraska-bound 6-6 Nana Akenten is an inside-outside threat who leads the high-powered Raiders and guards Kaleb Thornton and Joseph Yesufu also average in double figures.

The Raiders finished third in 2015 and were 17-8 last year but coach Rob Brost has been able to mix Akenten with the additions of Binns and Thornton from Nazareth.

• The pick: This will be a tough test for Simeon. But the motivation of last year's 1-point semifinal loss to Benet and enough defensive stops will push Simeon past Bolingbrook 66-60

Third-place game, Saturday, 5:30 p.m.

Another big contrast in styles between Fremd and Bolingbrook. Third-place games often have a free-wheeling feel to them but the Vikings won't deviate from the way they play one last time.

• The pick: Motiviation can also be an issue for third-place games but it won't be for the Vikings. That isn't the way this program operates. The best season in school history will see Fremd come home with the MSL's first boys third-place basketball trophy after a 52-47 victory.

Championship, Saturday, 7:15 p.m.

The Simeon-Young matchup will add more fuel to moving the big school tourney weekend out of Peoria and up to the Chicago area. The two Public League rivals met in December with Simeon winning 59-52.

• The pick: Both teams have been playing at a high level the last two months. But Simeon's defense will produce a game-changing run that will lead to a 70-64 victory and eighth state title.

Class 3A

Semifinals

Fenwick (29-4) vs. Bloomington (26-4), Friday, 11 a.m.

Is there just a little bit of irony that Fenwick, which lost its chance to play for a state football title on a misapplication of the intentional grounding rule, meets the school just a few miles from the IHSA headquarters?

Of course, the Bloomington community knows a little something about getting snubbed after Illinois State won 26 games and a share of the Missouri Valley Conference title and was left out of the NCAA tournament.

None of that matters now, though, as Fenwick returns to Peoria for the first time since the Corey Maggette-led 1998 team lost to Maine West in the Class AA quarterfinals. Bloomington won state titles in 1910 and 1916 but has not been to the state finals since 1975.

It's no surprise that the Friars have re-emerged as one of the state's top programs under Rick Malnati, who played at Bradley and had a successful career at New Trier. They have been tested with a rugged schedule that includes a 5-point loss at Simeon and a 5-point loss to Whitney Young.

Jacob Keller, the quarterback who is going to play football at Northern Iowa, is the team's No. 2 scorer behind 6-1 freshman sensation D.J. Steward. Jamal Nixon provides a solid inside threat at 6-5.

Bloomington has made quite a turnaround under Micheal Mosley, who was 3-26 in his first year at the school in 2011-12. Senior guard Dazon Farris leads four double-figure scorers at 18 points a game and 6-6 sophomore Chris Payton averages a double-double.

• The pick: Both teams have been tested on their schedule with Bloomington losing by two to Benet and by one to 2016 4A champion Curie at the Pontiac Holiday Tournament. But it's tough to go against a Malnati-coached team so we'll go with Fenwick 65-57.

Morgan Park (24-6) vs. Springfield Lanphier (28-3), Friday, 12:45 p.m.

Morgan Park certainly knows the way to Peoria with its fourth trip in five years under Nick Irvin. With strong guard play which it has again with 6-4 Ayo Dosunmu, Cam Irvin and Lamond Johnson.

But Lanphier also has one of the state's top guards in 5-8 senior Yaakema Rose, who is averaging 19 points. Cardell McGee and Aundrae Williams also average in double figures.

• The pick: Last year was a blip on the radar for Morgan Park as it didn't end up in Peoria after winning titles in 2013 and 2014 and taking third in 2015. The Mustangs will have too much offensive firepower in a 75-64 victory.

Third-place game, Saturday, 11 a.m.

One of the biggest challenges for the 3A teams playing in the third-place game is not only rebounding from the disappointment of a day before but having to do it in a morning game. So the big question is who can find that determination and drive to bounce back.

• The pick: Expect a wide-open game here that goes to Lanphier 78-72.

Championship, Saturday, 12:45 p.m.

• This figures to be an excellent chess match - a Morgan Park team that wants to get out and go against a Fenwick team that has showed it can control the tempo. And Malnati has a history of getting his teams prepared to not only play with but beat teams with tremendous talent.

• The pick: Fenwick won't go away easily as it wins its first boys basketball trophy. But Morgan Park will claim the big prize for the fourth time 56-52.

marty.maciaszek@gmail.com

  Naperville North's Mitchell Lewis drives around Bolingbrook's Nana Akenten, a Nebraska recruit, during Class 4A supersectional action at NIU. Mark Black/mblack@dailyherald.com
  Fenwick's Jamal Nixon rises up to deny St. Viator's Jeremiah Hernandez on an attempt during Class 3A supersectional play at the Sears Centre. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
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